Iraq orders penalties over Hezbollah, Houthis terror listing

Shafaq News – Baghdad

The Iraqi government on Tuesday approved administrative sanctions after an official publication wrongly listed Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis as terrorist organizations.

According to a statement, caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani endorsed the outcomes of an investigative committee that examined content published in Al-Waqai’ Al-Iraqiyya (the Official Gazette of Iraq), Issue No. 4848 dated November 17, 2025, in which Hezbollah and the Houthis appeared under measures linked to United Nations Security Council counterterrorism resolutions.

“The recommendations included administrative penalties, comprising the removal of a number of concerned officials and the reassignment of others,” the statement affirmed.

The listing had triggered political backlash, particularly from factions aligned with the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” a term used to describe Iran-backed movements active in the region. Iraqi authorities later denied that Baghdad had formally designated both groups as terrorist organizations and that its counterterrorism measures apply only to entities linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

Read more: Iraq’s backtrack on Hezbollah–Houthi listing exposes a high-stakes regional tightrope